Changing perspectives- Final entry for EDS 103

I am a teacher initiated by accident and now by choice. I have been in this wonderful profession for the last 9 years. Even though these nine years have gone down well and I have matured as a teacher, I did feel the need of taking up an educational course (I do not have a degree in education). So I joined PTC and this is (hopefully) my last trimester here.

Another trimester is coming to an end and now when I look back, I can see all the things that I have learned, all my learning engagements that have got validation through various theories and my various misconceptions getting cleared.

It has been a tiring 3 month long journey, with bouts of inspiration intertwined with the feeling of being left behind.

Before this course, I did not know that the various things that I do in my class and the the process of my students’ learning have complicated scientific names :-). This course has taught me, how my students think, how does their memory works for them, how should I organize my lesson so that my students get the best out of it,etc.

Few things that really stand out for me at the end of this course are:

Primacy-recency effect= the knowledge of this is helping me in organizing my lessons so that my students are able to learn more. Now, I ensure that the key parts of my lessons are explained in the beginning when the student focus is at the peak and this being followed by review and practice.

use of reinforcement- these tools can be effectively used for either enhancing a certain behavior or acting as a deterrent.

Sensory,working and long term memory- knowledge of this for the learners can help them in segregating the useful from the chaff and putting it into the long term memory for later use.

MKO- how the students can learn not only from their teachers/parents/other adults but also from their peers who might know more then them.

This course has made me a better learner and hopefully a more informed and a better armed teacher. My limits were stretched, especially while working for Asst 2 and the Final Exams. This course has not only made me more resilient but also taught me the importance of time and self management. All these skills are crucial for a teacher 🙂

May I continue to be an enthusiastic (and a more organised) learner and continue to inspire my students to be hungry for learning. Amen 🙂